Chapter 717

Yan Qing naturally would not refuse this duel invitation.

He leapt onto a high place, the seven flying swords unsheathed willingly, their cold aura pressing in like the Milky Way unfurling, striking from afar, causing even Yunli to feel a chill.

But she was no pushover; she had endured bitter training under her grandfather, and upon first arriving at the immortal vessel she had lost a move to her peers, whereupon she attacked angrily, a sword strike that sent the surrounding grass and trees moving without wind. However, her strike was rather plain, and Yan Qing swiftly dodged it with agile footwork.

Yan Qing also knew the girl's sword style was fierce, so he dared not clash head-on, instead continually maneuvering his flying swords to harass her, hoping to tire her out with his footwork.

But Yunli was not slow either; though she could not catch up to him, she stayed close, several times nearly causing him to be struck by that heavy iron sword. Left with no choice, Yan Qing stepped onto his flying swords and rose into the air, the six swords attacking her from six different directions at once, hoping to strike before she could steady her steps and force her to yield.

Yet the girl was also stubborn, not retreating at all; instead she swung her huge sword like the wind, instantly swatting away the flying swords coming from all directions and hurling it at him. Yan Qing had never seen such a savage tactic of throwing a sword, and in a moment of inattention he was struck by her huge sword and fell from the sky.

"How can you wield a sword like that?" Yan Qing couldn't help but say.

But Yunli angrily retorted, "How to wield a sword—do you need to teach me? Is your swordsmanship superior to mine?"

Saying this, she pulled the huge sword embedded in the ground and swung it straight at Yan Qing, while he, roused to anger by the girl, immediately activated all his flying swords, hoping to decide the match in one move with Yunli—and just in that split second—

A blue-colored figure, like a stream of light from a heavenly fissure, appeared without warning between the two forces about to clash violently.

Its speed was beyond belief, so fast that not even an afterimage had fully appeared.

The newcomer extended both hands, two long fingers lightly pinching, and with effortless ease gripped the spine of Yunli's huge sword, which carried the force of ten thousand jun and was unstoppable; the tremendous downward chop that could split mountains and rocks vanished like a mud ox entering the sea.

Her other hand, likewise with the ease of lifting a heavy weight, precisely clamped Yan Qing's long sword; no matter how hard the two struggled, the two swords remained suspended in midair, utterly still.

"Not bad, you two kids."

——

Renya.

"Pinched, pinned!"

Liehai Wang stared in astonishment as the fox-woman effortlessly pinned Yunli's mountain‑crushing blow, finding it as easy as picking up vegetables while eating.

"How is this possible? Could it be… extremely high‑purity neutralizing force?!"

Even Guo Haihuang could not completely neutralize this force of a thousand jun; before launching a neutralizing move one must keep the body absolutely soft, imagining it as a stream of water against which any attack is helpless, yet she still took the blow head‑on… how did she do it?

"Idiot." Fanma Yongsi Lang suddenly laughed, baring his grim teeth, "That's not neutralizing force at all; this woman never intended to use any 'technique' on these two brats."

"She's not bored enough to use techniques on two kids; it's just pure speed and strength, nothing else."

Gongben Wuzang stroked his chin and mused, "Hmm, couldn't she also pin my sword with two fingers? Her grip looks far stronger than mine… to shatter both our sword auras in a finger snap is truly awe‑inspiring."

——

Pirate King.

Beehive Island, the Rocks Pirates.

"Mwa ha ha ha! This fox person is so strong!" Charlotte Linlin licked her lips, her eyes sparkling with excitement at discovering a "rare race"; she usually had no interest in ordinary fox folk, but such a strong fox person… she had never seen one in the heavens before.

Rocks sat by the campfire, the corner of his mouth curling into a dangerous arc: "Huh… could he really block that little girl's attack with just two fingers so easily? Judging by her appearance, pulling off such a feat seems as routine as waking up, truly interesting. Is he also a general? No… he looks even stronger than Jingyuan."

Young Whitebeard stood aside and said, "But I recall the fox folk's lifespan is only a couple hundred years or so; seeing how young she is, her battle talent is remarkable. To take a hit bare‑handed without any armored Haki…"

"No." Rocks denied it, saying, "Although the immortal vessel lacks armored Haki, the moment this woman appeared, the whirlwind swirling around her blew away all of Yan Qing's flying swords; there likely exists an invisible barrier around her that this fox woman freely controls."

Kaido nodded thoughtfully: "Controlling the wind… no wonder he has such speed. But speaking of which, I doubt even Jingyuan would dare to bare‑handedly take the full‑force strike of these two kids."

Whitebeard frowned slightly: "If we make use of the God Lord's words… it could be done. Does that mean Jingyuan, among the generals, is of the weaker martial type?"

——

That carefree, graceful fox woman relaxed her grip on both of their weapons.

"However, you two—one side only knows how to dodge, thinking your footwork is nimble; the other side relies on brute strength, always fantasizing about a one‑hit kill… your tactics and technique both have gaps."

Yunli eyed her warily and asked, "Who are you?"

"As for me, I'm just a patient who came to Dan Ding Si for treatment and medicine, a passer‑by spectator," the woman said, looking toward the distant ancient sea, "I originally thought the Luofu Martial Performance Ceremony was about to start, so I could enjoy the arena, but I didn't expect to see such a spectacular battle in the healing halls of Dan Ding Si. The strange incidents on Luofu are truly many."

"However, I have a small suggestion: instead of a private duel outside, I'd rather see the two youngsters use the Martial Performance Ceremony as a chance to step onto the arena and properly beat the other half to death; that way, any grudges would be settled in one stroke."

Yan Qing was startled and said, "Grudges? You've misunderstood; Yun Li and I… are only sparring."

The woman smiled faintly, "One wields a flying sword, the other swings a great blade; I don't believe there's no resentment between you two."

At that moment Ling Sha, who had arrived from behind Dan Ding Si, saw the familiar figure and a shallow smile involuntarily curved his mouth.

"Ah, Lord Fei Xiao, what brings you here? Has the Dragon Lady's consultation ended?"

Yun Li was still a little dazed: "Fei… Xiao? Could you be the … that Grandfather often mentioned…"

"…the Heavenly Strike General of the Yaoqing Immortal Boat?"

Fei Xiao replied, "It seems I'm still quite famous on the Luofu Immortal Boat."

Ling Sha nodded and said, "Of course; the title 'Great Victory General' is known to everyone."